Strengthening inter-cultural literacy and minority voices through narratives of healthy religious pluralism in higher education

Religious faith and spiritual practices, although increasingly important to some students, are often avoided in the Western University classroom and student experience. There are some understandable and valid reasons for this. However, when two academics (Education/Social Work and Theology) were asked to evaluate a co-curricular, interreligious dialogue program in an Australian University, called Finding Common Ground (FCG), the data was so compelling that consideration for pedagogies in the university ‘classroom’ took on additional significance. More so in the contemporary context, where religious pluralism and respectful religious expression is to be encouraged, over and against polarisation, in today’s global and multi-religious world. This article reports on the evaluation of the FCG program’s social inclusion and inter-cultural literacy objectives. As a co-curricular program, FCG offers a safe space for students to discuss their religious faith, or alternative value base, and to learn from those of others. Research findings on two iterations of the program indicated that creating safe spaces, respectful dialogue and eliciting personal narratives supported the development of inter-cultural literacy in participants and encouraged participation of minority student voices. We examine this informal learning process, exploring possibilities that might affirm more inclusive practices in higher education and cross-culturally informed graduate outcomes.